North Yorkshire's Ripley Castle Estate, held by the same family for over seven centuries is to go on the market.
Current owners Sir Thomas and Lady Ingilby have announced they are to sell the estate, just north of Harrogate.
They describe the Grade 1-listed 14th Century country house as 'a much loved family home', adding the planned sale is 'with the support of their family.'
The Ingilbys lives in a private apartment and value their privacy away from the public gaze away from the public. These quarters are elegant and beautifully furnished, indistinguishable from the rest.
A guest bedroom is decorated with columns and plasterwork, botanical prints, an ornate antique mirror and chaise longue, among the antiques, she explains that this was an old nursery room before it was restored.
The Countess of Wessex is one of the guests who has stayed here.
The Knight’s Chamber is one of the rooms that is part of a public tour of the castle with wood-panelled walls.
Ripley Castle has been in the family for 700 years and has a history of political, military, religious and social upheaval, plague and persecution. Henry Ingilby collected taxes for Edward II, an earlier Sir William served the Tudor sovereigns and in 1605 nine of the 11 known conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot were close relations or associates of the Catholic Ingilbys. In the 18th century a Sir John took down the old castle apart from the Tudor tower and gatehouse and his son created the model estate village with its large Hotel de Ville.
A statement issued by the estate continues: 'The family will continue to live nearby and focus on their other interests. Most of the Estates enterprises will continue to trade as normal and our valued clients employees and tenants will be advised at the earliest opportunity of any changes to this plan.'
The sale is being handled by Mark Granger of Carter Jonas in Harrogate, to whom enquiries must be directed.
Mark said: ‘It is unlikely that marketing of The Ripley Castle Estate will start before October. Until just before then there won’t be any information available on lotting or pricing.’
Ripley Castle and Estate is noted for its large grounds, lakes, deer park, walled gardens, hothouses and kitchen garden. The estate village is one of Yorkshire’s prettiest and a magnet for visitors with its gourmet shops, gallery and popular pub, The Boar’s Head.
The estate is a wedding venue and every year hosts Ripley Show, this year on August 11 as well as regular food festivals and markets.
The sale is expected to include the pub, hotel and restaurant, The Boars Head, plus several houses in the village.
Sir Thomas Ingilby, who lived from 1290 to 1352, married the heiress Edeline Thwenge in 1308/9 and acquired the Ripley Castle estate with its medieval manor house as her dowry.
His oldest son, also called Thomas (1310–1369), saved the king from being gored by a wild boar whilst on a hunting expedition and was knighted in return with the boar's head symbol as his crest.
Some 28 generations of Ingilbys have lived at the castle.
